See the World Differently: An Introduction to Primal World Belief Research
Social science research on "primal world beliefs" (primals) has sparked widespread interest. Primals are extremely simple beliefs about the world as a whole, such as the belief the world is dangerous or beautiful, that are thought to influence a wide range of mental health, personality, and political outcomes. Drawing on his own journey into the development of the theory, Dr. Clifton will share why primals matter, how the 2019 primals taxonomy was created, what the main primals are, and summarize important research findings over the past 7 years. This includes a major recent breakthrough demonstrating that interventions targeting primals can change important life outcomes. Whether you attend or not, find out your own primal world beliefs using the validated survey at www.myprimals.com.
About the Speaker: Jer Clifton, Ph.D
Dr. Clifton received a PhD in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania studying with Dr. Martin Seligman (advisor) and Dr. Angela Duckworth (committee chair). He currently directs the Penn Primals Project, with a primary research interest in primal world beliefs, which are basic beliefs about the word’s typical character (e.g., the world is dangerous). His secondary interest is measurement and taxonomy-creation. The methodology he developed to taxonomize primals is now being used to taxonomize core beliefs about the body, ultimate purposes, parenthood, the self, and several other topics. Academic publications include the foundational Psychological Assessment article introducing primal world beliefs, a Psychological Methods article on tradeoffs between validity and reliability, and a Perspectives in Psychological Science article on scale equivalence. His research has been featured by many public outlets, including the Washington Post, Hidden Brain, Scientific American, Psychology Today, Al Jazeera, Forbes, and The Atlantic. In 2024 he was named an APS Rising Star for “innovative work that has already advanced the field and signals great potential for continued contributions.”
Website: www.myprimals.com/jer
